Mexican and U.S. officials are set to resume talks in Washington on Thursday aimed at heading off punitive tariffs on Mexican goods as President Donald Trump called for Mexico to take more action to curb migration at the southern U.S. border, Trend reports citing Reuters.
The two sides met on Wednesday for discussions led by Vice President Mike Pence in an effort to strike a deal that would satisfy the U.S. president, who has called for the imposition of tariffs from Monday.
Staff-level meetings are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. (1800 GMT) with Mexican officials at the White House, a White House official said on background.
“They have to step up and they have to step up to the plate, and perhaps they will. We’re going to see if we can solve the problem,” Trump told reporters as he departed Ireland on Thursday to attend events marking the 75 anniversary of D-Day in France.
“We’re having a great talk with Mexico. We’ll see what happens, but something pretty dramatic could happen. We’ve told Mexico the tariffs go on, and I mean it too,” Trump said.
Pence told reporters the U.S. State Department would lead talks on Thursday, but gave no further details.